I haven’t done any real cooking in our Austin kitchen yet, but this homemade Thai pineapple dish is looking pretty tempting after all the tacos I ate yesterday! I’m determined to eat all the tacos in Austin.
Back to Thai food. This pineapple fried rice recipe was inspired by a meal at Sweet Basil in Norman, Oklahoma over the holidays. I really loved the combination of sweet, caramelized pineapple with Thai spices.
I can’t claim that my version is traditional, but it does taste very close to my memories of that dish. I used some leftover bell pepper instead of tomato and thought it was pretty great that way.
The cooking method for this fried rice is a riff on my spicy kale and coconut fried rice. If you’re a fan of that recipe, I think you’ll love this one, too, as well as my veggie fried rice and the coconut fried rice in my cookbook. Please let me know how it turns out for you in the comments!
Before you get started
A couple of quick notes:
- This meal comes together very quickly, so make sure your ingredients are ready to go before you get started.
- Chilled leftover rice works best in stir fries because it doesn’t clump together, so cook the rice in advance if time allows (see recipe notes).
How to Make Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
- Author:
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 to 4 servings 1x
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Asian
Thai-style sweet and spicy pineapple fried rice with red bell pepper, cashews and cilantro. This is a healthy and quick, vegetarian weeknight dinner! This dish comes together very quickly, so be sure to have your ingredients (including chilled leftover rice) prepped in advance. Recipe yields 2 large, restaurant-sized portions or 4 more modest portions.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or quality vegetable oil, divided
- 2 eggs, beaten with a dash of salt
- 1 ½ cups chopped fresh pineapple
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- ¾ cup chopped green onions (about ½ bunch)
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ cup chopped raw, unsalted cashews
- 2 cups cooked and chilled brown rice*, preferably long-grain brown jasmine rice
- 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 1 to 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce or sriracha
- 1 small lime, halved
- Salt, to taste
- Handful of fresh cilantro leaves, torn into little pieces, for garnishing
Instructions
- Heat a large wok, cast iron skillet or non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat and place an empty serving bowl nearby. Once the pan is hot enough that a drop of water sizzles on contact, add 1 teaspoon oil. Pour in the eggs and cook, stirring frequently, until the eggs are scrambled and lightly set, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer the eggs to the empty bowl. Wipe out the pan if necessary with a paper towel (be careful, it’s hot!).
- Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and add the pineapple and red pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid has evaporated and the pineapple is caramelized on the edges, about 3 to 5 minutes. Then add the green onion and garlic. Cook until fragrant while stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Transfer the contents of the pan to your bowl of eggs.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pan. Pour in the cashews and cook until fragrant, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Add the rice to the pan and stir to combine. Cook until the rice is hot, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes.
- Pour the contents of the bowl back into the pan and stir to combine, breaking up the scrambled eggs with your spoon. Cook until the contents are warmed through, then remove the pan from heat. Add the tamari and chili garlic sauce, to taste. Squeeze the juice of ½ lime over the dish and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and set aside.
- Slice the remaining ½ lime into 4 wedges. Transfer the stir-fry to individual serving bowls and garnish each bowl with a lime wedge and a light sprinkle of cilantro. Serve with bottles of tamari and chili garlic sauce or sriracha on the side, for those who might want to add more to their bowls.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my spicy kale and coconut fried rice.
*Rice notes: For 2 cups cooked rice, you’ll need to cook up about ⅔ cup dry rice. To cook the rice, rinse it well in a fine mesh colander, then bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the rice and let it boil, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Drain off the remaining cooking water, then return the rice to the pot. Cover the pot and let the rice steam, off the heat, for 10 minutes. To chill the rice ASAP, spread it across a parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet and let it cool in the refrigerator.
MAKE IT VEGAN/EGG FREE: Skip the eggs by heating the pan and then start cooking with step 2. This fried rice would be great with crispy baked tofu, which you could toss in during step 4.
MAKE IT GLUTEN FREE: Make sure to use a certified gluten-free soy sauce (tamari is usually gluten free, but check to be sure).
STORAGE SUGGESTIONS: The dish tastes great the next day, whether reheated or served at room temperature.
If you love this recipe: Be sure to check out my other Thai-inspired recipes here!
▸ Nutrition Information
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Sarah Bagnick
We loved this recipe and hubby requested it gets added to our normal meal rotation! I made a few adjustments to fit our lifestyle- I omitted the eggs and added edaname and sugar snap peas to add another vegetable to the meal. Thank you for a great recipe!
★★★★★
Michelle
Great idea! I love this recipe!
Kallee
Could this be made with peanuts instead of cashews?
★★★★
Kate
Yes! Sounds delicious.
Laurie
Wow! This was so good, I think I dreamt about having another helping in my sleep. I know I had some for lunch the next day. I honestly never thought I would be able to cook like this, I feel so accomplished!
★★★★★
Marcia
I found your recipe using google search after seeing Pineapple Fried Rice on a Chinese restaurant menu and made it the very next day for 4 adults and a toddler. We all loved it. Thankyou for sharing your recipes!
★★★★★
Marianne
This was really tasty! I added some shelled edamame because they needed to be used.
★★★★★
Kate
That sounds like a great add! Thanks for sharing, Marianne.
Jo
Awesome recipe! I made this last week (without eggs) for a vegan friend, and then again for myself and my husband tonight.
What I love about this is that it is so versatile – my favourite kind is one that I can play with using whatever I have to hand.
Tonight, I upped the veg count by adding celery with the pineapple and capsicum. I also used crushed pineapple rather than whole – my husband preferred the little bits to larger lumps, and it creates a really sweet ‘pop’ without being overpowering. And then added peas with the rice and cashews, and threw in some kimchi (because our supermarket *finally* had it back in stock…)
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing how you changed this one up, Jo! I appreciate your comment and review.
RFC
Delicious! Substituted fried tofu for eggs to make it vegan, but loved this recipe!
★★★★★
Carrie
I just tried this recipe last night and it was amazing!! Thank you!
★★★★★
Chrystal Stump
Have you substituted canned pineapple in no-sugar added juice?! No drag pineapple but I love the recipe!
Kate
Hey Chrystal! I haven’t, but as long as you like the taste of the pineapple from the can, I think it should work well! Another option would be defrosted frozen pineapple. Hope you enjoy it!
Chessa Harris
Combined this recipe with the 20min Honey Garlic Shrimp from Sally’s baking addiction recipe blog and it made possibly the best shrimp fried rice I’ve ever eaten! Can’t wait to make it again!
★★★★★
Niharika
This comment made me so happy! I love both these blogs and I’m making this combination tonight! Instead of adding the soy sauce and Sriracha in the rice, I added it to the shrimp and cooked it after the vegetables. I also made cauliflower rice instead of regular rice and it was amazing! This is going to be a staple.
★★★★★
Kate
I love to hear that!, Niharika! I appreciate your review.
Jennifer Stivers
My husband and try a ton of different recipes and usually change them up just a tad. Not this one. Amazing recipe. We used white jasmine rice the first time, but are going to make it again with the brown. I also presume our cashews are roasted but unsalted.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m excited you loved this one as it, Jennifer! Thank you for sharing your feedback. I appreciate!
Diara
Can I make peanapple fried rice with coconut?
Thanks
★★★★★
Kate
For sure! You can add up to 3/4 cup shredded (unsweetened) coconut or coconut flakes. See this recipe for guidance.
Amanda Haytaian
Hi! Have you tried this recipe with Cauliflower rice?
Kate
Hey Amanda! I haven’t, but I bet that would be really tasty. Please report back if you give it a shot!
Jason
I don’t know what the heck I’m doing in the kitchen, but this recipe came together quite nicely for me for our “Meatless May.” Also, I’m not usually fond of spicy food but the 2tsp option for chili sauce was just fine! It gave the meal a really nice little kick to counter the pineapple pieces. This was so good!!
★★★★★
Narayan
Cooked it today for Mother’s day lunch. I added the crispy baked tofu and skipped the eggs. So easy to make. It came out really nice, both my wife and daughter loved it!
★★★★★
Ashlee Cobb
I just recently started going vegetarian twice a week. I’ve never had anything like this but it was amazing! Only thing I need to tweak is the spiciness. So good!
★★★★★
Ashley
This is amazing! I added carrot and shrimp. We didn’t have cashew so I subbed unsalted dry roasted peanuts. This is a restaurant quality recipe! I can’t wait until we have guests over again so I can serve them this!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you were able to make this just right, Ashely! Thanks for your review.
Barbara
Thanks Kate for this delicious recipe! I added peas and mushrooms, but otherwise followed it to the letter.
★★★★★
K.Em.
Made this today and it was excellent. I had to substitute a few things based on what I had on hand–canned pineapple, peanuts instead of cashews and peas instead of red pepper. And, sadly, no lime or cilantro. The lime would have been great with this but even the modified version was super tasty. I am bookmarking the recipe so I can make again. Seems like a great way to use up whatever vegetables are sitting around. The sweet, salty, and spicy ratio was perfect! Thank you for posting it!
Bec
What a fabulous dish. Easy to make, instructions are clear and truly delicious. I paired this with a chinese eggplant dish and it went down a treat. Thank you
★★★★★
Valerie Van Over
I just made this and it was amazing! I’m app for quick, easy, cheap, healthy and delicious and this fits the bill. I found you while searching for a recipe to replicate a dish from my favorite, now closed Thai restaurant. My dad took me there as a child and their pineapple fried rice was my introduction to Thai food and the beginning of a lifelong obsession with cooking and Thai cuisine. Your recipe nails it! Thank you so much for helping bring that memory back!
★★★★★
Susan
I hate cooking… and I don’t know how! Needless to say the closures in NYC/NJ have brought about a steep learning curve for me when it comes to cooking. But I’m hungry so I’m learning (against my will). So far I have made several of your recipes including the Thai pineapple rice. Every single one has been relatively easy, quick, and so delicious! Thank you!!! PS: To be honest I looked at this blog initially because of your dog. :)
★★★★★
Erin
I could seriously eat this almost every night. We added some ham for protein and did frozen veggies (because thats what we had on hand) and it came out SO tasty! Seriously going to be making this again and again. Great recipe!
★★★★★
Jennifer Billiu
This recipe lends itself well to using any kind of veggies one happens to have on hand. In my case, I used a red bell, a baby bok choy, 1tbls chopped ginger, an extra garlic, 1/2 cup yellow onion, and I couldn’t resist part of a long hot green chili…. added to the other ingredients in the recipe. I also used half soy sauce/half fish sauce for the tamari.
The problem I ran into was the texture of the rice. I used brown Jasmine rice, but I didn’t use day old rice. I tried to cut corners by making the rice and chilling it in the fridge before using it. Bad move. The rice really needs to dry out first. My rice, although a good flavor as a finished product, was rather mushy. Next time I make this dish, I will be sure to use day old rice. I’m going to try this one again making that change.
★★★★
Amy
That is helpful! Thank you!
LouraB
Wonderful
Zohra
This is the most authentic recipe for pineapple fried rice. It tasted exactly like the one I had in Thailand. Thankyou!
Jennifer Martinez
Great recipe! My whole family loves it. Thank you for sharing
★★★★★
Nat
Thanks for the recipe. It was OK but I feel like the sauce was missing something. It really didn’t taste like Thai fried rice. Thanks anyway! Lovely photos :)
★★★
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love it! Thank you for sharing your feedback.
Amy
Absolutely delicious! Thank you for this fabulous recipe. I used canned pineapple and added a jalapeño b/c we like the heat! This has made the rotation. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
I like your creativity! Thank you for sharing, Amy.
Tina
This was absolutely delicious, I have made it twice already! The first time I made it, I cooked it exactly as directed and served it as a side. The second time, I added matchstick carrots and chicken and served it as the main course. I marinaded the chicken in teriyaki and cooked it in the skillet in a mix of sesame and vegetable oil. Diced the chicken into small pieces and added it towards the end when the rice gets added. Served with Yum Yum sauce. My picky husband raved about it! This will definitely become a staple meal in our house hold! Thank you!
★★★★★
RaulF
I had a ripe mango that needed enjoying in place of pineapple, and added chunks of lightly fried tofu. Tasted great; adding lime juice helped balance the mango sweetness. I’ll definitely make this again. Cilantro has died so I used fresh chopped basil, and tasted great. We cook with what we have, no?
This is the first recipe from C+K, which I found yesterday. The site is now tops on my Paprika search engine. I like the recipes’ balance of typically available healthy ingredients, balance of macronutrients, and customizability (we are 95% vegan). Also clear instructions. Next is pasta e fagioli. Thanks.
★★★★★
Kate
I love how you got creative and that you loved the result! Thanks for sharing your experience, Raul.
Michele Fernandez
we loved this recipe! Made a little addition to the mix by stir frying the veges with some brown sugar and we used some fried tofus as well. The family was raving about how delicious it was and how it tasted and looked like something from the restaurant (we served it fried rice in a baked pineapple bowl). definitely something we will make again
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great to hear, Michele! Thank you for taking the time to review.
Mark
Delicious! A real hit on the homefront. Many thanks
★★★★★
Robin
Loved it! Omitted the egg as we didn’t have any at the moment, but it tasted perfect! Decreased amount of Tamari and upped the chili garlic sauce, because my husband likes his food a little spicy!
★★★★★
Marian
Super recipe! I used peanuts instead of cashews. I didn’t have brown rice and used basmati instead. Will need to get some brown rice for next time. We loved the flavour combination. A keeper for sure!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m excited this one is a keeper for you, Marian! Thanks for sharing.
Sweta Patel
I come back to this recipe time and again. It’s such a simple yet flavorful one. Thank you so much Kate for sharing with us.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Sweta! Thank you for sharing.
Viji
Hi Kate.. this is my second time trying this recipe.. this time I added salad shrimps instead of eggs! Love it all… What I like is it’s very easy peesy lemon squeezeee! I also added schezwan sauce in the place of sriracha….my family emptied the plates within an eye wink…. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe
★★★★★
Dena
I added cooked diced chicken and 1TBL mild curry, 1/2 TBL Hot curry, 1 tsp tumeric & 1 TBL minced ginger
Absolutely awesome!!!!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Dena! I’m glad you loved it.
Pat & Kelly
We tried this and it is delicious and moist. Its a lot of work but so worth it!
★★★★★
Brigitte Yuille
So this was delicious. I bookmarked this recipe awhile ago, and I finally got around to making it. I saw a comment from someone who said they were still dreaming about this dish, and I thought okay. Then, I ate it, and I was this is good but it was hot and the flavors were there but they were on top of each other. Hard to explain. Then, I waited few hours. Actually I started craving it again, and tried it this time with the lime and I was like wow. So I am thinking I will be making this in batches the day before Friday so I can enjoy it on the weekends by candelight on my patio. Absolutely, delicious. This one blew me away cause it was so simple. I was looking for a nice recipe to replace my weekend “take out” meals. And this was it. So I am looking forward to trying more of Kate’s recipes.
★★★★★
Cassandra Archer
I followed this to the letter, only omitting the cashews and did white Jasmine rice instead of brown. It is definitely a very basic fried rice recipe. It was very bland until adding the rooster sauce. I’d add more eggs, salt, maybe a fish oil, and the idea of crushed pineapple next time. Great recipe for a first timer though. I did appreciate how you said it came together quick, so to be ready. Because it sure did! The cooking times were on point!
★★★
Jennifer Nicol Colwell
I am a big fan of Thi Pineapple fried rice but don’t know how to cook them. And you recipe tutorial helps me a lot to make them.
Can’t wait to try out this.
Thanks for sharing this great recipe tutorial with us.
★★★★★
Carol Giaco
I just love your website! It is crazy-every time I have some ingredients that I think would work together but I don’t exactly know what to do with them, I google it and one of your recipes pops up! You seem to be on my exact same wavelength food-wise. I also used to live in OKC and worked at Med Imports so when I found your post about their bean salad that was even more of a pleasant surprise. Best wishes and keep up the good work!
Gina
Delicious, healthy, and my 3 generational household love it. I followed recipe exactly. It also looked like my favorite Thai restaurant dish – bonus!
★★★★★
Kristy Mahoney
The only thing I changed was adding some peas. This dish was so quick and delicious. I added some sriracha on top to give it some heat and it was perfect. Will definitely add to the regular rotation. Might throw in some tofu too.
★★★★★
Lisa Wittmier
This is wonderful. So delicious! I will be making again and again.
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful, Lisa! Thank you for sharing.
Christina
This is my favorite. We make it again and again at our house!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you love this one and it’s a favorite! Thank you for sharing, Christina.
Andrew
Tried it, loved it and will do it again !!
★★★★★
Kym
Can I use lemon instead of lime?
Kate
Sure! That is a great substitute.
Johanne Delisle
I made this amazing dish for lunch today. Wow! So yummy. My boyfriend loved it too. It is a keeper for sure! I look forward to making it again!
★★★★★
ian
Made it this evening. Excellent. Added diced chicken and a little more sriracha for extra heat. Made 3X. There was enough for four so we, 2 of us, have lots left.
thanks
★★★★★
Clarissa
Hello! What if I want to add in fish sauce? Just curious, because most Thai food has it. What would you do with it? Thanks!
Kate
Hi, I don’t use fish sauce so I can’t speak to that, sorry!
Siem
I love this recipe and make it frequently when I have people over. My mom, my dad and my best friend all love it and have started making it regularly themselves. (My mom mostly makes me do it when I visit her, though). Thank you for providing a staple dish to my and three other people’s mental cookbook!
I like adding both bell pepper and tomatoes (tomatoes only at the very end), a large can of pineapple chunks (fresh is unaffordable here), some ginger, and some spices I feel like when roasting the cashews. And I tend to make way more than I think I need because people ALWAYS want a full second serving :) I never get the leftovers for lunch I hope for… Thanks again!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome! Thank you for taking the time to review, Siem.
Liza M
I cannot even begin to say how much we lovvvvvvvvve this recipe. I’ve always enjoyed fried rice but not that it’s a couple veggies and lots of rice. This is fried rice the right way. My husband likes meat usually and he doesn’t miss it with this! For the win! The sweet thai chili sauce for us is perfect. And this is an easy recipe to prep beforehand or make ahead of time. We (my husband and I) always make it 2x because we like it so much. We also hve shared it with multiple friends who also have added it into their meal rotation. And we like it because it’s vegetarian and dairy free
Sometimes I will add a grated zucchini. I love pineapple so I add extra into the meal (cooked) and I usually will add fresh, cold pineapple ontop when eating. YUMMMM
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful, Liza! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
Roslyn Halperin
i made this and it was great but i just threw it all together.. and cooked it.. the rice of course was cooked.. already
★★★★★
Kristin
Super yummy and easy! Made with drained canned pineapple. Kids enjoyed it!
★★★★★
Dip Patel
Does this go well with thai fish curry (red)?
Kate
Hi! I’m not sure, sorry.
fflambeau
I’ve lived in Thailand over 25 years. No one in Thailand would use red bell peppers; the common ingredient is tomatoes. Also, no Thai cook would first make a Thai omelette; it is made in the wok with one egg added. Cashews are also not used in real Thai fried rice; it is a “farang” food. Also, the pineapple is not cooked so much and its water adds a delightful taste to the rice. This is a recipe for foreigners.
★
Kate
Thank you so much for sharing your notes. I’ve only been to Thailand once. I would love to model this dish off of a local Thai restruant dish I really enjoy, my next opportunity to visit Thailand. You are correct that it is an interpretation of a Thai dish and will revisit the recipe so that it says so.
Jennifer Hafner
This recipe looks yummy, but we are allergic to nuts and pumpkin seeds. Any suggestions to sub for the cashews?
Kate
Hi! You could omit if you like.
Susan
This is delish! Tried it as written – why change what’s not broken? Might add shrimp next time. Thank you!
Come home soon – Kansas City misses you.
Susan from Lawrence
★★★★★
Louise Johnson
I made this for dinner tonight and it was positively amazing! My husband, who is a very light eater, even had a second helping. I’m trying to prove to him that a vegetarian diet is not bland and and tasteless and this went a very long way in drive home my point!!! Definitely going on the faves list! Thanks so much for putting it out there.
Kate
I’m happy to hear he went back for more and this has made your favorites list!
Mika
This was an amazing recipe!!! Added soybeans and carrots to make into a main dish! My kids and I LOVED it! Thank you for sharing with us!!!
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Mika! I appreciate your review.
Lizzie
This is an awesome recipe to add to your repertoire. My husband and I love Thai food, specifically Thai curries. I served the fried rice with red curry chicken, and the sweet flavors of the pineapple paired really well with the heat of the red curry. Would definitely recommend!
Emily
Turned out so great! I doubled it, added chicken, and added some leftover frozen peas and carrots. I read the sriracha amount wrong and did 3 T– if you like it spicy, I honestly really liked it! Great recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Emily!